The Externalizing Machine Essay Example for Free

The Externalizing Machine Essay In todays mostly capitalistic world people who are consumers think that they have power to decide what products to purchase; people who are stockholders are only interested in the profit; people who run corporations make that profit regardless of the price others have to pay; and people who live in developing countries work for 3c per hour making brand name cloths which then are sold for $20, $60, $100, $200, $500, making at the same time the corporations profit skyrocketing. It is widely known that there are sweatshops in developing countries, where people are treated like slaves but practically they are not slaves because they always can walk off the job. It is known that in such countries there is exploitation of child labor, but practically what can a citizen of other country do to help if they have enough their own problems. It is also known that work conditions in such factories are horrible, but what one can do if those companies offer lower prices. Is it fair towards society as a whole that some people are exploited so others can make skyrocketing profits? Is it fair that your TV was partially made by a 6-year-old child? Is it fair that the product you bought harms or even kills you or one of your family member? Is it fair if this does not happen to you but to some other people in some other countries? Is it fair that infants are given harmful baby-formula prohibited in developed countries? There are many questions that can be asked whether it is fair or not, but what happens if we interchanged the word fair with legal and instead we ask whether all those actions are legal or not, and who makes them legal or not. The author Joel Bakan of The Corporation tries to find an answer to those questions and tries to show what impact corporations actions may have on human beings and environment. Joel Bakan in his book brings up issues of sweatshops, environment pollution, externalities, government regulations, advertisement, and many others. He uses concepts of corporation as a psychopath and doom machine. By this Bakan means that corporations, in its pursuit of maximizing the profit at any cost, they destroy people, environment, and themselves at the same time. Even thought there are many important issues throughout the book my focus will be on chapter three Externalities. As the title of the chapter says the most important issue in it is externalities, the effect that corporations have on third parties. The author explains the concept of externalities and gives some examples; this chapter also focuses on the process of how corporations make decisions regarding the products safety, how they make decisions whether to improve products safety or not, or how they make decisions regarding the possible corporate options in the light of profit. The author used some concept and theories in this chapter so lets start with identifying and explaining them. First the concept of externalities. An externality is the effect of a transaction on a third party who has not consented to or played any role in carrying out of that transaction. ; the effect can be either good (creation of new jobs, lowering unemployment) or bad (pollution, diseases, deaths, etc). They literally mean other peoples problems. Whether or not exernalitie have good or bad impact they are only the result of pursuit to make higher profits, and are only the result of self-interest; furtheremore it does not matter for corporation whether the results of corporations decisions are good or bad externalities, as long as the profit raises. (pg60,61) Bakan uses the concept of doom machine (example of paper mill) to explain why corporations are successful in destroying world they operate in. The concept means that corporations dynamic does not take into account the concerns of flesh-and-blood human and that in our search for wealth and for prosperity, we create a thing thats going to destroy us (Monk pg71) The author also uses the concept of corporation as a pschopath which means that corporations are ego-centric, irresponsible or refuse to accept responsibility, have asocial tendencies, and they will do anything to satifsy their goal which is to maximize profit at all costs regardless what harm it may cause. The author assums that many, if not all, corporations make harmfull decisions that will eventually destroy the world, and at the same time will destroy the corporatins themselves. I think that Joel Bakans assmumptions are that all corporations do not care about the environment they operate in, that they would pollute everything to maximize profit, that the only guideline corporations use in making a decision is a cost-benefit analysis, and that eventhough corporations are made of individuals who would not want to harm other people together they would kill other people if it maximizes the profit. The author takes for granted that all corporations do not care, and that if they pretend they care, it is because they want to maximize the profit, and that if they comply with the law it is beause it would cost more not to obey the law, the author takes for granted that all decisions made by corporations are based solely on cost-benefit analysis not on ethical or moral codes or guidelines. The author assumes that corporations eventhought they are made up of individuals with ethical codes they do not use them in making decisions regarding profit. Therefore the author is asking why they make such decisions, why they only consider profits that can be made in near future but do not consider their future existance. The author asks how corporations make such decisions that in long run will destroy human beings, environment and corporations themselves. Joel Bakan is asking why people as a corporation harm other people and themselves. As an example, the author gives Monks story. (Monk is one of Americas most important and influential businessmen, he worries about what is going on in modern corporations. ) Monk was staying in a motel in a small town. He was shocked when he discovered that paper mill is polluting the river in that town. Monks says that he knew everyone there, the mayor, the mill employees and owners, and he also knew that no one wanted the river to be polluted and yet it was being polluted every night. (pg71) Therefore, why if no one wanted it to be polluted they were still polluting it? The question is why corporations make such decisions that harm other human beings. If there is no person in a given corporation who would want to harm others, why as a corporation they not only harm people but even kill them. What is the difference between murdering someone by using a firearm or a knife and murdering someone by letting him drive unsafe vehicle or drink polluted water or eat poisoned food. Who assigns the difference and who lets those murders happen everyday around the world. The question is why corporations are not prevented from doing harm, and why they decide to harm others in the first place. To back up the issues raised in The corporation Joel Bakan uses a lot of data, information, and facts regarding corporations and the legal breaches that they did. Two most important informations include data used by GM in calculation of cost-benefit analysis of improving products safety; and General Electrics major legal breaches including many contaminations of the environment and the amount that they had to pay between 1990 and 2001 for those legal breaches. GM in deciding whether to improve cars safety calculated how much it would cost them. Therefore they calculated how many accidents would happen on US highways, how many fatalities it would cause, and how much it would cost the company in lawsuits and other expenditures, mainly meaning the cost of a fatality. The calculation was as follows: 500fatalities x 200,000 per fatality / 41,000,000 = $2. 4 per automobile. To make the car safer, it would cost company $8. 59 per car. Therefore, it was cheaper not to improve vehicles because GM would save $6. 19 per car in production. Armstrong and her children, that had second- and third degree burns resulting from a rear-end accident in 1993 due to the fire caused by unsafe positioning of the gas tank in GM Malibu, were awarded $1. 2 billion. (pg63) Two significant orders for GE to pay was i 2 billion for asbestos cleanup and related pollution, and $95 million in damages for contamination from dumping of industrial chemicals. (pg75-78) The total GE had to pay for contamination of the environment alone, between 1990 and 2001 was approximatelly $3 000 106 million (over $3 billion); total for violations of safety rules at nuclear fuel plant, for design flow in nuclear plants, for illegal sal of fighter jets, and for overcharging on defense contracts was $300 million. GE was also ordered 14 times to clean up contamination of drinking water (ground water, river, water supply) and soil. The assumptin is that General Electric makes huge amounts of profit, because GE is able to exist on the market even though it was ordered to pay over $3 billion puls the cost of cleaning up contamination. The broader assumption, based on GE example, is that corporations make huge amounts of profit at the cost of environment and human lives and they continue to do so even though they are ordered to pay millions or billions of dollars in fines. Given the information regarding corporations actions and the impact they have on developing countries, on societies, on environment we all live in, and on individuals, who should care the most and why should we care at all. Joel Bakan is trying to make the reader think about the reality we live in, about what is really going on in the world, about bigger picture than only ones family, job, or friends. I think that in Joel Bakans opinion everyone should care about what he says, everyone should care aout future generations, and future of this planet, therefore everyone should take an action in order to make this world a better place. If we take his line of reasoning and accept his arguments it would mean that we should stand against the big corporations and their exploitation of people and environment. We should not agree with their actions and should do something to stop those big corporations destroying the world. We as people and customers have lots of power, however we are lazy to use our collective power to stop those corporations in their harming actions, instead we prefer to pay less for products eventhough we know that those products were made by child labouer. If we agree with Bakans arguments it means that we say no to corporations and to their exloitation of people and environment not to business in itslef, we do not stand against the business but against those corporations that are overtaking the world.

Change Management Essay -- Sustainable Development, Corporate Sustaina

This assignment will discuss the response of the Canadian business market to the force of sustainability. Sustainability includes both sustainable development and corporate sustainability. When sustainable development and corporate sustainability are valued in a company, it aligns the views of various stakeholders, which can lead to financial success. In the past, sustainability was not valued, mainly because of a lack of knowledge and an aversion to the costs of sustainability reporting. However, with increased consumer awareness and the promotion of environmental and social value, more companies are moving towards a state of sustainability. In Canada there has been some adoption of sustainable development. Regulating bodies and third party evaluators have implemented systems to promote a triple bottom line in corporations. TELUS Corporation is an example of a company that is focused on sustainable development. Their vision, policies, and practices all display the company’s s upport for the community, the environment, and the shareholders. While there are still barriers to the adoption of sustainable practices, the market will naturally shift towards a state of corporate sustainability through sustainable development. Assignment #1 Introduction In the business world, there are four forces of change. These are innovation, customer focus, globalization, and sustainability. Innovation involves technological and non-technological advances that create new value for a company. Customer focus entails directing an organization’s efforts towards increasing the value given to customers as opposed to the value kept in the organization. Globalization has lead to integrated markets and has exposed businesses to new risks, such as pol... ...). Conclusion It is evident that sustainability is becoming a strong force in the business world. Environmental issues, such as greenhouse gas emissions, and corporate social responsibility are becoming increasingly important to internal and external stakeholders. Companies can no longer focus solely on financial measures, but must incorporate the triple bottom line into their performance metrics. This will give a company a long-term focus that supports future growth and profitability through sustainable development. Adoption of sustainable initiatives is varied in the market. While companies such as TELUS Corporation can be labeled as a sustaining corporation, others remain in a state of non-responsiveness or compliance due mainly to costs. However, as environmental and social awareness increases, the market will naturally progress towards a sustainable state.

Australian Aborigines and Their Complex Kinship Essay

Aborigines have a complex system in relation to their social and marriage laws, based on the grouping of people within their society. To understand the complexities of their social organization, consider it this way: divide it first into three main parts. The first part is the physical structuring of society in terms of numbers – family, horde and tribe. Second, the religious structuring based on beliefs and customs, totems and marriage laws. (Kinship, 2005) These beliefs divide people into sections and subsections, totemic groups and clans. Third, there is also a kinship system that gives a social structuring. The social structuring and kinship system can become very difficult to understand for non-Aboriginal people, but is a natural part of life for Aborigines, and its details vary from tribe to tribe. There are three main aspects of Aboriginal social structure. The first aspect is the geographical structuring of the society. A tribe of around 500 people is made up of bands of about ten to twenty people each. (Australian, 2012) They join together for day to day hunting and food gathering activities. Each band of people can be called a horde. Within each horde are a number of families. The second part is the religious and totemic structuring of the society. On a religious level the society in much of Australia is divided into two moieties. Within each moiety are significant animals, plants, or places, which are of a highly religious nature. Each person, as well as belonging to one or the other moiety, is also connected to one or more of these subjects, called totems. The third part of their social structuring is the relationships between people, otherwise the kinship system. The kinship system allows each person in Aboriginal society to be named in relation to one another. When Aborigines acknowledge an outsider into their group, they have to name that person in relation to themselves, to allow that person to fit into their society, because they need to have in their own minds the kinship relation of that person to themselves, and that person must have a defined social position. The value of a kinship system is that it structures people’s relationships, responsibilities and manners towards each other. This in turn defines such matters as, who they will have look after children if a parent dies, who can marry whom, who is accountable for another person’s debts and who will care for the sick, weak and old. The kinship system allows individual naming for up to 70 connection terms in some tribes. (Australian, 2012) It is the system where brothers of one’s father are also called, in one sense, father. Cousins may be called brother or sister. A person knows who their real mother and father are, but under kinship laws, they may have similar family obligations to their aunts and uncles, the same as they would to their mother and father, and this is shared. These groups are further described as tribes. In Australia, tribes are really language groups, made up of people sharing the same language, customs, and general laws. The people of a tribe share a common bond and in their own language, their word for man is often the word used for the name of the tribe. For example, in Arnhem Land, people are called Yolgnu because Yolgnu name for man. People from another tribe are outsiders, because a tribe is like a small country with its own language, some tribal groups also use the term nation to describe themselves, such as the Larrakeyah tribe around Darwin calling itself the Larrakeyah Nation. (Kinship, 2005) Tribes were generally not a war- making group and people generally use their moiety or clan name to describe themselves individually, rather than their tribal name. There were an estimated 500 Aboriginal tribes in Australia at the time of European settlement. Out of all of those tribes about 400 of them are still together. (Australian, 2012) Throughout Australia the moiety system divides all the members of a tribe into two groups. These two groups are based on a connection with certain animals, plants, or other pieces of their environment. (Kinship, 2005) When a person is born into one or the other group it does not change throughout their life. A person belonging to one moiety has to marry a person of the opposite moiety. This is called an exogamous system, meaning that marriage has to be external to the group. The clan is an important unit in Aboriginal society, having its own name, territory and is the land-owning unit. A clan is a group of about forty to fifty people with a common territory and totems and having their own group name. (Kinship, 2005) It consists of groups of extended families. Usually, men born into the clan remain in the clan territory. Not all members of a clan live on the clan territory. The sisters and daughters of one clan go to live on their husbands’ clan territory. A horde is an economic group that consists of a number of families who band together for hunting and food gathering activities. (Kinship, 2005) A horde is not a distinct group in the minds of Aborigines. Different members of these groups may be contained within the horde. At the main camp, the horde separates into family groups who each have their own camp fire and cook and eat separately. A family group can be quite large, consisting of a man and his wives, the children from each wife, and sometimes his parents or in-laws. A man often has from two to four wives, ranging from one to more than ten. Today, most men have just one wife. Aboriginal custom all over Australia bans a person from talking directly to their mother in law. This rule applies to both men and women talking to their mother in law. (Kinship, 2005) To allow this rule to work, communication took place by using a third person. When food was divided and shared around campfires, a mother in law had a small fire of her own separate to her son in law or daughter in law and their spouse. Her own daughter or son would chat and bring over some of the meat, or perhaps a grandchild would sit with her and act as messenger between herself and her daughter or son’s partner. This is completely different from my own society. A man having more than one wife is frowned upon, we do not need to name a person to welcome them into our lives and we can certainly speak with our mother in laws. Our society is not as strict as that of the Aboriginal when referring to our kinship. Our kinship does not affect behaviors in my own life. I do not need to hunt, garden or eat with other people. References â€Å"Australian Aborigine†. Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. Encyclop? dia Britannica Inc. , 2012. Web. 11 Jun. 2012 . â€Å"Kinship and Skin Names†. Central Land Council. Central Land Council Inc. ,2005 http://www. clc. org. au/articles/info/aboriginal-kinship.

The Theme of Heritage in Everyday Use Essay - 559 Words

Readers of Alice Walkers, Everyday Use, discusses how the narrator realizes that Maggie understands her own heritage. What does the narrator mean when she says, Just like when Im in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout? Does the narrator do something amazing that she has not done before? Some readers opine that the narrator knows what it really feels like to have family. Others say that the narrator recognizes the importance of giving. However, both these readings are not with the point. The narrator realizes that Maggie should have the quilts because they embody her heritage. The title, Everyday Use, has a specific meaning that lashes on to the story. When the narrator, Walker†¦show more content†¦During an evening after dinner, while Wangero rummages through Walkers trunk, she finds two quilts. The quilts that Wangero holds were sewn by Grandma Dee. The quilts each symbolize Maggies heritage. For instance, One quilt is the Lone Star Pattern. The other is Walk Around the Mountain. In both of them are scraps of dresses Grandma Dee wore fifty and more years ago. Another one has bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrells Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the size of a penny matchbox, that is from Grandpa Ezras uniform that he wore in the Civil War (125). The general meaning of heritage is the characteristics and traits of a family passed from one generation to the next. In this case, the quilts are being passed down from Grandma Dee and Grandpa Ezra to Walker. But now the question is, who will the quilts pass down to next? Just right after the controversy, Wangero is unsure about if Maggie should have the quilts because Maggie knows how to sew. Wangero says, You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts! (126). Wangero is attempting to explain to Walker that the quilts have sentimental value. In her own mind, Walker questions Wangero, what would she do with the quilts? Wangeros response is that she would display the quilts. Wangero looks over at Maggie and contemplates about the quilts which she holds in her hands and says, Mama, she can have them, like somebodyShow MoreRelatedTheme of Heritage in Walkers Everyday Use Essay1498 Words   |  6 Pages and disparities between the quality of education affect peoples’ perception of heritage. Everyday Use by Alice Walker was an inspiring story of family and heritage. Simplicity against complexity. The old ways and the new ways. It was about people fighting for change and other people who were content with the way things were. The story takes place in the 60’s orRead MoreHeritage, a Theme in Alice Walker ´s Everyday Use652 Words   |  3 PagesAlice Walker sets Everyday Use as a story of a mother and two daughters where the older daughter, Dee, is coming home to visit them after being away for a while. Walker sets the tone of the story by displaying how poor and uneducated the family is and how Dee while growing up was always looking for better things never appreciating the aspects of her life. As the story develops, the focus of the story is on a set of quilts made by the mother from pieces of clothing that belonged to her grandparentsRead MoreSame Theme, Different Development in of Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker’s The Legacy and Everyday Use690 Words   |  3 PagesWalker’s The Legacy and Everyday Use, both of them have the common that is the theme of the story carries â€Å"the heritage† issue but the focus of it is different. I n The Legacy, the focus of the heritage was a relic diary of Angela for her husband. Implicitly, we can conclude that the heritage was meant to be recognition of Angela to her husband. While the focus in Everyday Use, the focus of the heritage was the quilts, and in the final story we could see the truth meaning of heritage it can be concludedRead MoreCharacter Uses In Alice Walkers Everyday Use1095 Words   |  5 Pages The short story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker begins with the narrator, Mama, and her daughter, Maggie, sitting in the yard that they both prepared and cleaned the day before. They were waiting for Dee, the oldest daughter, that is returning from college in Augusta after seven years of education. Maggie is going to be nervous for as long as Dee stays because of the scars and burns marks she got from the fire in their previous house. Maggie thinks that Dee has a much easier life than herRead MoreEssay on The Importance of Heritage in Everyday U se829 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Everyday Use † by Alice Walker the exact setting is never revealed and therefore, can only be guessed, but it has been guessed that the story takes place on a country side in Georgia. At one point in the story Augusta is mentioned. The time is also estimated to be during the Civil Rights Movement around the year of 1973. Mrs. Johnson, along with her two daughters, reside in a small three room house, and take pride in there small yard. As Maggie and Dee grow older they start to realize howRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker852 Words   |  4 PagesHeritage is defined as something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth. In â€Å"Everyday Use†, by Alice Walker, the theme of the story can be considered as the meaning of heritage or even the power of education. Alice Walker uses many symbols and motifs such as the following: quilts, education, knowledge, Asalamalakim, and the renaming of Dee. In the story, African heritag e and knowledge takes a major role. The African heritage plays a major role in the story, â€Å"Everyday Use†. Alice WalkerRead More Essay on Appearance vs Reality in Everyday Use and The Gilded Six-Bits1200 Words   |  5 PagesNeale Hurstons Everyday Use and The Gilded Six-Bits  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Gilded Six-Bits it appears that Otis D. Slemmons, the towns newest arrival, is rich, but by closer inspection by Joe Banks and Missie May, is found to be poor.   In Everyday Use, Maggie doesnt appear to be smart enough to honor and appreciate her heritage, but she and not Dee/Wangero is really preserving the family traditions as well as heritage.   Both The Gilded Six-Bits by Zora Neale Hurston and Everyday Use by Alice WalkerRead MoreEveryday Use - the Gift of Family945 Words   |  4 Pages Everyday Use is a short story that teaches a value lesson of heritage, inheritance, the past, and one’s family. For some the lesson maybe perceived as an illustration to develop the natural instinct of valuing our family and our past as objects of everyday use. However, the lesson that Alice Walker conveys to her readers is to understand that the value of heritage is within the eye of the beholder. Within this paper I will explain the strategies; I think the writer uses to convey particularRead MoreThe Meaning of Everyday Use with Characterization1495 Words   |  6 Pagesof Everyday Use with Characterization Analyzing characterization is the key to find fictions controlling idea and central insight--theme. Direct presentation--one character description technique--usually directly shows what characters are like by exposition, analysis, or another characters description. The other way to shape characters is to use the indirect presentation by describing their actions and leaving room for readers to develop their own ideas about the characters. Everyday UseRead MoreStory of an Hour, Everday Use, the Storm963 Words   |  4 PagesKristin Smith 8 November 2009 The theme of a story is whatever general idea or insight the entire story reveals (Kennedy and Goia). In â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, by Kate Chopin, the theme is repression and freedom. In â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, the theme of the story is being proud of your heritage or your background. In â€Å"The Storm†, by Kate Chopin, the theme is finding happiness or comfort in other things. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, the main character Mrs. Mallard, gets news that